Contrary to popular belief, this show is not an official remake of the BBC sitcom
The Office (2001), but actually started as an unlicensed rip-off of it. The show was treated as an original by the channel Prosieben, until it eventually got the attention of the BBC, who noticed how similar it was to their own version. In fact, several dialogue scenes were copied almost verbatim, and many other similarities were so apparent that the BBC threatened legal action against the show's production company Brainpool. Beginning with the second season, to avoid legal issues, the text "Inspired by the UK BBC series The Office created by
Ricky Gervais and
Stephen Merchant" was added to the ending credits. It has since been acknowledged as a remake.
